Bordelon (DDR 881) - Naval Cruise Book

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1 Mediterranean Cruise

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ITINERARY U.S.S. Bordelon DDR-881 May 13-18 Lisbon, Portugal May 2I-. I Augusta Hay, Sicily June 1-10 Naples, Italy fune 12- Hi ...Athens, Greece June- I 7- 1!) .. Lemnos June 1 9-22 Alexandroupolis, Greece fune 23-26 Rhodes fune 28-July 2 Iraklion, Crete |uly 2 5 Derna, Libya [uly i) I I Izmir, Turkey fuly 12 Leros fitly 1 3-16 Navaran li.i . ( ireei e |nl 16-19 Fleel Exercises fuly 2d Phaleron Ba) fuly 23-August 3 Trieste, F.T.T. August 3-8 Venice, Ital August 11-17 Suda Bay, Crete August 17-22 Fleet Exercises August 22-21 Golfe Juan. France August 2l-. ' il Cannes, France September l-. r St. Tropez, France September 5-8 Fleet Exercises September S 11 Vlgiers, Vlgeria Septembei I I I I Bougie, Vlgei ia September 15 19 ( ran, Ugei ia Septembei 19-22 Fleel Exercises September 23 Aranci, Sardinia

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The SIXTH FLEET S, ince the early days of the nineteenth century— when ships were made of wood and iron men were making Navy tradition, when Barbary pirates were rampant and uncontested on the high seas-the United States has periodically kept warships in European waters, particu- larly in the Mediterranean Sea. Beginning with the War with Tripoli in 1802, and almost continually since 1886, American sea power in this area of more than a million square miles has aided in assuring peace— a recognized historic responsibility of the United States. Today, the U. S. Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean, commanded by Vice Ad- miral John Jennings Bal- lentine, is the Navy ' s larg- est permanent operational fleet on the high seas. Its mission, defined in 1946 by the late Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal, is twofold— to support Allied occupation forces and the Allied Military Govern- ment in the discharge of their responsibilities, and to protect United States interests and support United States policies in the area. Composed of an aircraft carrier, a division of cruisers, a squadron of destroyers and sustaining auxiliary ves- sels-normally about twenty ships in all, manned by twelve thousand officers and men and a reinforced bat- talion of Marines-the Sixth Fleet is a subordinate op- erational command of the Commander-in-Chief, United States Naval Forces, Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, with headquarters in London. As one of the three Com- manders-in-Chief under the Chief of Naval Operations, his boundaries of jurisdiction extend roughly from a point just east of the Azores to a point beyond India, and from the North Pole to the Equator. The Sixth Fleet has no base in the Mediterranean Sea; it must therefore remain continually on the move, engaging in exercises at sea or calling at any of scores of foreign ports in the area. Rarely does the Fleet re- main in any one port for more than a week; usually the visit is lor three or four days. With minor exceptions, each vessel of the Sixth I- leel serves lor a period o) lour months in the Medi- terranean while on de tached duty from the At- lantic Fleet. Vessels com- pleting their tours are re- lieved in a Mediterranean port by other vessels of similar types and returned to the United Slates for shipyard repairs and alterations. lici being briefed, the new arrivals swing into a si he chile ol operations which trains the officers and men in independent movements and Eamiliarizes them not onl) Willi the waters in which the) cinisc lint also with the people, ciisioins and traditions ill the various countries they visit. The four-month regular rotation of the ships and their personnel permits the max- imum number of officers and men to become ac- quainted with the Mediter- ranean area. In the Navy today are tens of thousands who have made the cruise. Some of the officers and men are old hands and know this area well; others are new, young and wide- eyed, perhaps making their first cruise in foreign waters. But for all, duty with the Sixth Fleet is considered tops; it is exciting and fasci- nating. The high morale of the Fleet might be attributed to the fact that at sea and in port the men are always busy. Intensive maintenance is a standing order and under- standably a necessary one. If emergency repairs are needed during the four- month tour, adequate dry- dock facilities are available ▲. ifeV in tlie area on a r u1 basis. At sea, the routine is maintenance and train- ing; in port, maintenance, training and fun for the crew ashore. Admiral Bal- lentine believes in giving his men the maximum op portunity to get acquainted with the Mediterranean lands and their peoples. Shore leave is as liberal as the situation warrants. Prior to entering a new port, information is disseminated calling attention to the port ' s place in world history and describing its historic landmarks. Upon arrival, educa- tional tours are arranged. If the men have relatives in the area leaves are arranged for them so that the can pass their time in port with their kin. Some main and bring their wives back to the United States. There are no idle hands in this Fleet. Work and pla) periods alike are crammed full. The training is so in- tensive that it is probable that the men do and learn more in a shorter period ol time than the) would in actual combat. They are drilled in methods ol repelling air and submarine attacks .wn air targets, including the elusive radio-controlled drones. The) learn how to re- cover men overboard and how to extinguish lues; othei training helps them to sharpen communications and to master effective ship maneuvers. Ml ol the training brings into pla) the most up-to-date strateg) and tactics as a means ol maintaining the- Sixth Fleel al the peak of readiness. For the men who scramble ashore aftei hectic days at se.i this is the best ilutv in the world. Most ol them, insatiable collectors, keep a constani How ol photographs and souvenirs returning in the in.nK to the lolks back 1101111 ' . Il is estimated thai the nun I the Meet spend two million dollars annuall) in the foreign ports the) isil. The Sixth Fleel sailoi who joined the Nav) to see the world is seeing it. Each is a roving ambassadoi in a 1